Poacher to spend home detention at coast

A man who poached hundreds of kilograms of pa¯ua and sea cucumber has been given home detention.

Sonny Gilbert Wairau, 38, was banned from fishing after being caught and convicted in September 2015.

But between December 2015 and June last year he and two others began taking pa¯ ua and sea cucumber from around Wellington’s coastline and selling it.

Wairau had pleaded guilty to 40 charges of illegally selling pa¯ ua, offering to sell them, and breaching the prohibition order.

On Friday, in the Wellington District Court Wairau was sentenced to seven months’ home detention at an address near Whanga¯ rei Harbour.

Judge Arthur Tompkins warned him that if there was any more offending, the most likely outcome would be jail.

Wairau had been part of what he and the others called the Pa¯ ua Corporation.

In six months, 257kg of greenweight pa¯ ua was taken and 31kg of sea cucumbers. Another 15kg of processed meat was also sold.

Wairau was banned from fishing for a further three years.

Another man is to sentenced in December.

A third man has avoided court, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. be